Daisy
by WritesWithQuill
Summary: Sequel to A Swordsman and a Klutz. During the two years at peace after the Mad King's demise, not only were Sumia and Lon'qu married, but they also had a daughter. And when the war started up again, they were more than a little surprised to meet and learn the story of their future daughter. But, her name was her most surprising feature...
1. Two years

_Disclaimer:_ _Since the last time I posted, I still have not gained the rights to Fire Emblem or the direct quotes I use in this piece of fiction._

 _This is a squeal to A Swordsman and a Klutz that features Cynthia and is not a rewriting of the supports as it is a re-imagining of what could have happened had a specific series of events taken place-such as Lon'qu and Sumia having their daughter in the two years of peace between Emm's death and Walhart's rise. As a result, it diverts from the plot a little and focuses more on outside of battle than in._

 _I hope that anyone who enjoyed S &K enjoys this as well and I hope you tell me what you think of it through reviews as I am still trying to figure out the finer points of writing and would appreciate advise._

 _Also, S &K was all written before I started posting while this is most definitely not, so bare with me if there are long periods of no updates-I'm a lot busier than I was before-though I hope to update at least once a week if I can._

* * *

Daisy

1\. Two Years

The Shepards woke late the day after Gangrel's death, many suffering with the after effects of having consumed too much alcohol. As a result of this late rising, no one saw the newly engaged Sumia and Lon'qu returning as the sun rose, bathing them in a golden glow that highlighted their blushes and their new found happiness. And, since everyone was eager to get back to the capital and announce the news of the new Exalt's engagement, no one bothered to ask the couple where they went and what happened, meaning their engagement was kept secret until they finally arrived in Ylisstol.

Though, it was pretty obvious that Sully and Stahl suspected as much the whole journey home-constantly winking at them over their shoulders from their position in front-and Robin was definitely not impressed to see the two walking together the whole way, Sumia's pegasus happily trotting along beside them.

However, when all the important things were said and done-and Chrom was crowned-the couple were surprised to find that they weren't the only ones keeping secrets.

"Sumia!" The new Exalt called after the knight as she and Lon'qu turned to leave after everyone had been dismissed from the Shepards to do their own things while the realm was at peace.

"Captain." She inclined her head at him as he walked over to her.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," said he, inclining his head at the swordsman by her side. "Well, actually, I've been meaning to ask you both something. What happened to the two of you the night of my engagement?"

"Um..." Sumia hesitated as she looked up at her partner. With an almost imperceptible nod from the raven-haired man, she smiled and continued with a bright blush on her cheeks. "We were kind of getting engaged ourselves..."

"Bam! I told ya, Stahl!" Sully shouted at the other cavalier across the room. With a sigh, Stahl relinquished a handful of gold to the laughing red-head. "Seriously though, congrats you two." Said she earnestly as the two walked over to them.

"Thank you, Sully." Said the pegasus knight as her groom glared at Sully, clearly not impressed at her placing a bet on them.

"I hope no one else is keeping secrets of that magnitude..." Robin said somewhat ominously from behind Chrom. The tactician was obviously not happy that his plan to set Chrom and Maribelle up had lead to another relationship being formed.

"Well... Actually..." Stahl said, scratching the back of his neck and ruffling up his hair nervously.

"What?" Snapped the tactician as he looked at the two cavaliers who stood far too close together for his liking.

"Libra married us shortly after he arrived at our request..." The green knight smiled goofily as he held Sully's hand in his.

"And... I'm pregnant..." Said Sully embarrassedly, her cheeks matching her armour.

"Oh!" Sumia flung herself at the knights with a smile, enveloping them in a hug. "Congratulations, you two!" Said she excitedly as she caught them in her embrace. The force with which she caught them set them all off balance and the three all began to fall backwards as they smiled and laughed, not realising they were falling until it was too late to regain balance. Just as they were beginning to worry and flail, Lon'qu was there, pushing them all back onto their feet with a familiar deadpan expression.

"Congratulation..." He intoned as he moved to stand back again, only to be pulled in closer by his bride.

Not even Robin could hide his smile as he saw the four in a close huddle, glowing with the inner light one has when they are truly happy and in love.

* * *

Having fought in a war for as long as they could remember, two years at peace came as a welcome surprise to all of the Shepards, even if they did have trouble figuring out how to fill their free-time.

Within the first month, Chrom and Maribelle were married in a public spectacle that showed just how at peace the country truly was-and how much money a royal and a noble woman had to spare on something so trivial. The same day, Sumia and Lon'qu were wed by Libra with only their closest friends-Cordelia and Virion, Gregor and Panne, Sully and Stahl-and Sumia's mother present. In an act of beautiful simplicity, Sumia wore only a white summer dress for her gown and a garland of daisies for a veil; while Lon'qu borrowed an all black suit from Virion for the special occasion. Both had bright blushes on their cheeks as they said their respective I do's and shared a chaste kiss in front of their cheering friends and weeping mother. Sumia's mother embraced them both after the ceremony, telling them she had never been happier and that she couldn't think of a man more worthy of her daughter than her new son. The swordsman stuttered his thanks to the kind elderly woman awkwardly as the klutz held back a chuckle.

And while the couple would always look back on that event fondly, they would always remember the goodbyes afterwards clearer.

The first to say goodbye was Cordelia and Virion-they did so at the ball for Chrom and Maribelle later that evening. Apparently the 'archest of archers' was needed back in Rosanne and the last of Emmeryn's pegasus knight wanted to go back with him to visit the country that had been described so beautifully to her. While the goodbye had been painful for the best friends, Sumia was sure she'd be kept updated constantly. The unlikely pair were married by the end of the first year, and Sumia had never seen her old friend happier.

Donnel left a little before midnight the night of the ball, wanting to go back to his Ma to check on her and the other villagers, promising to keep in contact with everyone should they need him to fight again. Amusingly, Anna went with him on the pretext of setting up a shop out there, though anyone looking at them could see it was simply because she wanted to be with him. They never did marry, but one look at them would show they would never be separated, no matter what got in the way.

The day after the ball, Basilio and Flavia started their journey back to Feroxi with Olivia in tow. The two Khans achieved complete unity in their kingdom a year after the second half of the war by marrying and ruling it jointly, but, for the time being, they simply exchanged glances and pretended feelings didn't exist while watching their dancer fall deeper and deeper in love with Kellam (whom was only noticed to be missing after he and Olivia announced their engagement).

A week after the ball, Gregor left in search of money and adventure with Panne by his side. With a heartfelt goodbye, Lon'qu-who'd become fast friends with the mercenary-watched the pair depart; they went on many adventures together throughout the two years. Their wedding took place just before the two years ended, a short while after they got engaged on the day of an eclipse. Lon'qu grinned brightly the day the letter came, knowing there was no one better for his friend than the adventurous taguel.

About a month after peace was established, Ricken started his short journey home with Nowi by his side. Due to his age and her mental age, the two got on surprisingly well, and they were wed many years after the second half of the war, though they had been dating since their return to his family then.

Since Plegia wasn't the safest place for people who had swapped sides during the war, Gaius and Tharja took up residence in Ylisstol and were given positions at the castle with Robin. The thief and dark mage were a natural couple and no one was surprised when they were wed, though many were surprised that it took them until the very end of the peaceful years to actually marry.

Miriel took up residence in the castle's library, only seen out of it to eat or experiment. The subject of most of her new research was theology, simply because she wanted to know as much about it as possible for when she got into debates with Libra over it. The pair were rarely seen apart by the end of the two years and were married but a short while before everything kicked off again, much to everyone's surprise.

Vaike remained in the castle too, as Chrom's rival and almost butler, though he remained a bachelor for the remainder of his days. That ability of his to lose items from his hands became almost legendary throughout those peaceful years.

Continuing with his training as Chrom's knight, Frederick was always around, performing every task known to man with his wife by his side. The two lived very happily during the peace time, together whenever they could be and always happiest when they were within sight of one another.

Since Sully was with child, the two cavaliers also stayed in the castle so Lissa and Maribelle would be nearby should she go into labour or need medical assistance. Before their daughter was born, Stahl started to get a little portly as there was no need to train and no training Sully pushing him to keep fit. Surprisingly, Sully was one of the women who could be content when her waistline was expanding and a baby was kicking her insides for nine months, and she swore surprisingly little during labour.

The cavaliers' daughter-Kjelle-was born with a streak of olive coloured hair and was as hungry as her father, even when she was newborn. A few weeks after her birth, Sumia and Lon'qu were asked to be godparents-a job which they happily accepted and took on with open arms.

At the start of the second year of peace, Lucina was birthed into the world with the brand in her eye and her father's hair colour even at a week old. Robin was asked to be godparent to this child, much to everyone's surprise. Even more surprisingly, he took that position and made it his mission to make sure this child would never fall ill or into any form of harm.

While the tactician changed little over the two years, he did become more accepting of the fact that there were events taking place in this world that he would never been able to change and shouldn't want to. He finally began to accept that sometimes a butterfly could flap it's wings and everything could change; that chaos theory was the most interesting theory Miriel could come up with.

And on Sumia and Lon'qu's first anniversary, a butterfly flying off into the distance did help change their life:

"And off she goes..." The swordsman said quietly as the bug flew off Sumia's finger where it had been resting for a few moments. It was a bright day and the couple had decided to take the opportunity to celebrate their anniversary out in a nearby meadow. They lay together, her head in his lap, out on a picnic rug with their lunch packed back away into a wicker basket by their side. The sky was beginning to cloud and the sun's light was diminishing little by little as the clouds took over, but even that couldn't ruin such a brilliant day or the mood that came with it.

"Yeah..." The knight said lazily as she watched the black winged creature flap off slowly to the flowers near the bottom of the field. She'd been lulled into an almost doze as her husband traced his fingers through her hair, braiding wildflowers into her mousey locks. But as the butterfly left them, he stopped and reached into the basket, removing a bottle of elderflower champagne and two glasses. As Sumia watched him, her hand fell to her stomach and touched it lightly, knowing something he didn't.

"Care for a glass? It would be a fitting way to celebrate this occasion." Lon'qu asked his wife as she started to sit, suddenly very worried about what she was going to have to tell him and how he would react.

"Um, about that," started the knight, refusing to meet his eye with a blush forming delicately on her cheeks. "I would love to but... I can't."

"Why?" Asked the myrmidon worriedly, turning her face to him with his thumb on her chin. "Sumia. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _'wrong'_..." sighed she as she looked up to meet his eyes, her hands crossed on her stomach. "It's simply that... Well... I'm pregnant."

Lon'qu's eyes widened in shock and surprise but quickly fell into a comfortable look of tenderness as he reached out to take her ringed hand in his and rest his other on her ever so slightly rounded abdomen. "Thank you." Said he simply as he leant in to catch her lips in his, happy and disbelieving all at once, but more than anything, in love in a way he never would have thought possible a year ago.

They were going to have a family; and the swordsman vowed to love his wife and future child more than a stoic like he had ever thought possible.

* * *

In much the same way that everyone had been surprised by Sully's contentment during pregnancy, many were shocked at how uncomfortable and angry Sumia often was during hers. Days would go by where she wouldn't talk to anyone, not even Lon'qu, and when she did speak to people, it was often to yell at them or tell them they were doing something wrong. The calm but clumsy knight many loved was lost for nine months as her bad temper grew with her abdomen.

Even Basilio would have been impressed with some of the curses she shouted during her labour.

But after it all, she calmed down to a caring and content mother of a daughter with hair as fair as her own and eyes as dark as her father's.

As for the knight's husband… The swordsman did not handle the idea of being a father very well. All his fears about protecting women that he'd put behind him came back with more force than ever, making him question whether he was ready to be a father to daughter-the thought of having a son never even entered his paranoid mind. It didn't help that whenever he tried to bring up these fears with Sumia, she'd yell at him for being stupid.

However, the moment Lon'qu was handed his daughter by Lissa, all his fears-about protecting women and the idea of fatherhood-seemed to melt away into nothing and all that was left was him, his newborn child, and their future as a family.

And when the couple held her together later that evening, they knew with all their heart that this life needed to be protected-no matter what the cost. They knew their daughter would grow up to be free and happy-even in a world surrounded by war.

The young babe was named Daisy, after the flower that had let the pair know their true emotions even when they couldn't see them themselves.

* * *

Only a few months after Daisy's birth, the Shepards were called to war again, this time to face off against Walhart of Valm. No one at the time quite expected the war to end as it did, and no one expected to meet future versions of their children. But the biggest surprise of the second leg of the war came when Sumia and Lon'qu discovered their future daughter and heard her story…

The couple left their young daughter with a nurse and her grandmother at the castle along with Lucina and Kjelle as they geared up to fight for Ylisse once more. In the two years, Sumia had learnt how to use staves from Lissa and now entered battles as a falcon knight while Lon'qu had spent any free time mastering the sword so he could now enter battle as a fully-fledged swordmaster; these stronger abilities did not make them feel any better about leaving their daughter behind-or the possibility of never seeing her again.

Alas, they went to war again anyway, and were as surprised as everyone else was to find out a month or so later that the woman going by the name Marth was actually Lucina from a hellish future.

Then came a short period of eager anticipation as everyone else met their future children. The first to be found was Brady-Maribelle's son-who had a gentleness to him that only his sister and parents could hope to understand. Next was Kjelle, a tomboyish knight who was so much like her mother and toddler self that it made many smile just to see her train. Severa was found shortly after, it took many months for her mother to figure out the source of the spoilt teen's hate. Then came Owain-the mere sight of his brand made Lissa run crying into her brother's arms as she realised once and for all that she was, in fact, a princess of Ylisse.

Laurent's discovery kept Miriel researching and theorising for weeks on end until she finally accepted him as her future son. Despite the fact that they weren't actually married, Nah still came back to visit and judge her parents Nowi and Ricken, much to their, and everyone else's, surprise. Many were also shocked to find that a pair as shy as Olivia and Kellam produced a son as outgoing and flirty as Inigo-that was, until they actually got to know him. Yarne provided no end of amusement for Lon'qu as he watched his best friend and wife try to deal with their scared little bunny of a son. And Noire's split personality and red-headed temper helped keep everyone on their toes as soon as she joined.

It wasn't long after they all joined that Henry joyously announced his engagement to Virion's servant, Cherche. They were to be wed in a deep forest on an island outside of Valm since it was one of the nicer locations in a nation torn apart by war. Even with the appearance of all the other children, no one expected to find Sumia and Lon'qu's daughter mixed up in a rebellion out there:

During the battle, Sumia approached a young pegasus knight with raven-black bunches to check on her unsteady mount, who kept snorting in her direction.

"Pardon me," the elder knight said apprehensively as she lowered her pegasus to the floor, reaching out a hand to the other animal's neck to steady it. The rider turned to face Sumia and shot her a glare that spoke louder than a clash of any weapons. "I think you may have been misinformed. Can we speak a moment?"

"Don't waste your breath! Your lies ring hallow!" The energetic knight shouted at her, causing the other to blink in confusion. With a swish, the younger knight levelled her lance at Sumia and stared down at the hand on her mount's neck. Within a heartbeat, the girl's expression changed from anger to disbelief and her lance shook in her hand. "Your… Ring? …Ring? Y-Your RING! MOTHER!"

"...What?" Asked Sumia breathlessly as she handed the dropped lance back to the young knight who was staring at her wedding band in awe.

"It is you!" Shouted the girl as she pulled Sumia in for a close hug-which was easier said than done when ridding on pegasi. "Oh, Mother, you're alive! I never thought I'd see you again! I…I…"

"Um…" The elder knight awkwardly hugged her back, trying to console the now crying girl. "Are you all right?"

The black-haired girl pulled back quickly again as her forehead creased in thought. "WAIT! But if you're on that side, that means... Ohmigosh. My Chrom is a FAKE! Oh, I am going to KILL him for this! I'm going to plant a flying hoof right in his stupid liar face!" And with that, she was off, flying into the battlefield again, killing those she had called allies but a few minutes before and leaving a disbelieving Sumia staring after her.

"Wait! We really should…" She shouted pointlessly after her. After watching for a few moments as the young girl showed more prowess with her lance than anyone her age should have, she smiled and settled back into her saddle. "Well, at least she's not confused anymore. If only I could say the same for me…"

"Sumia!" Lon'qu shouted at her from behind. The brunette turned just in time to see him dispose of an archer who'd been aiming his arrow right at her mount's wing. With a sharp twang, the arrow ended up in Lon'qu's side instead, narrowly missing his ribs. Still, the swordsman killed the threat and slumped against the pegasus he'd just saved, panting heavily.

"Lon'qu!" Pulling a staff out from one of the pouches on her saddle, Sumia worked a little magic to heal his other, minor wounds as he climbed up behind her. As soon as he was securely on, she flew the two of them to the back lines so that she could heal him properly, keeping an eye open for the younger pegasus knight as she went.

Once they were out of the firing line, the klutz got to work removing the arrow from his body and healing his deep cut with the materials she had at her disposal. He chuckled low in his throat as she bandaged him up tenderly, a look of worry in her eyes. "What?"

"I guess this makes us even…" Said he weakly, looking up at her and her raised eyebrow. "We've both taken an arrow for- _*cough*_ -each other now…"

"Yes, I guess so." Said she in reply, not really hearing him as she continued to dress his wound and pray that it wouldn't be as fatal as it looked. "You need to rest, it's a lot deeper than mine was. I'll stay here to help you, should you need it."

"Sumia?" Lon'qu asked a few moments later as he settled down to rest against her pegasus' wing.

"Hm?" Hummed she in response as she pulled out her lance to protect them from anything that may try to attack them in their weakened state.

"What distracted you? It's not like you to be so unfocussed in battle…"

"Oh," she thought back to the dark haired girl who'd called her mother and then looked down at her husband who would be desperate to get back into battle if he knew his future daughter was out there. Who could very well kill himself by over exerting now. "Nothing… I was just… Thinking about Daisy. It got me a little distracted."

"Hmph." Slowly, the swordsmaster reached out to take his wife's hand in his, which was slightly sticky with his blood. "Don't worry about her. She's as safe as can be. I promise we'll make it back to see her alive."

Sumia looked down at her husband-slumped heavily against her mount, covered in blood, sweat and bandages-and then out to the battle, straining her eyes to try and make out the future Daisy in all the carnage. With a sad smile, she lowered herself to the floor too, bumping shoulders with Lon'qu as she settled. "Then rest." She said, kissing his cheek gently as he closed his eyes.

* * *

"Do you have a moment, Sumia?"

Almost an hour later, the falcon knight opened her eyes to find the dark-haired girl from before in front of her and her husband lying still but breathing by her side. Expelling a sigh of relief that Lon'qu was still alive, Sumia turned her head up to look the girl standing in front of her in her grey eyes. _She doesn't look much like Daisy…_ She thought but said, "Hello. You're the girl from… Before?"

"Yep!" She grinned with a small chuckle. "I got worried when I didn't see you on the march back, but now I see you were just resting back here with Father!"

"Hum…" Lon'qu stirred against Sumia as their future daughter giggled again, causing the pegasus to wake and snort too. "What…?"

"Lon'qu," the fairer-haired knight woke her husband slowly and turned him gently to face the girl stood before them. "This is our future daughter. She's who I was distracted by earlier, sorry for not telling you before."

But he hadn't heard her after she said the girl before them was their future daughter. Slowly, he worked his way to stand on his shaking feet, leaning on the now standing Sumia as he reached out to touch his daughter. "Daisy…" Murmured he as he held her hand.

"Who's Daisy?" The girl before them questioned, still smiling. "I'm Cynthia! You know-like great-grandmother!"

"Cynthia…" Lon'qu said slowly, turning to face his equally confused wife.

"Oh. Sorry for the confusion, it's just… Well, our daughter in this time is named Daisy, so we assumed…" The klutz said tiredly, confused along with her husband.

"I'm already born in this time? Why would I be named… Oh. OH!" Cynthia exclaimed as she realised what was going on, her hand covering her mouth. Suddenly, she turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction, tears streaming down her face almost before she'd left.

"Cynthia!" Sumia called after her, getting ready to run after her. The girl turned slightly at her name and then fell-face first-onto the ground, her legs flying comically in the air.

"She's definitely a relative of yours." Lon'qu provided dryly and unhelpfully from next to her as he bent down to pick up something she'd dropped. Dismissing the idea of chasing after her daughter as she was already up again and on her way to the camp, the knight turned to look at the thing her daughter had dropped. It was a small spear head without a shaft, a little worn and not quite polished to perfection. Without a word, Sumia pocketed it and started loading things back onto her mount.

The conversations the couple were going to have with Cynthia back at the camp was going to be interesting, to say the least.


	2. Future Daughter

_Apologies for this being updated so much later than I suggested, I've been far busier than I thought and haven't had much time to work on this. But, I hope you enjoy it and stick around for the next chapter as I plan on exploring Cynthia's future and what happened to her parents-and Daisy-in it._

 _Once again, reviews will be appreciated, and I hope you enjoy and stick with me despite my later-than-suggested update._

* * *

Daisy

2\. Future Daughter

As soon as the couple got back to camp, they set to work searching for their daughter. However, that was easier said than done considering the fuss that everyone was making getting ready for the wedding that was soon to take place. In the end, the two decided to split up and take one side of the camp each, weaving their way in and out of the small crowd of allies sorting out the event.

Sumia took the east side of camp, narrowly avoiding tripping over people as she worked her way to the children's tents. When she arrived, the only person she could find was Kjelle, sat outside her tent with her sword and a stone to sharpen it. The rider sighed as she saw her god-daughter, hoping she'd know where her actual future daughter was. _Gods, when did things get so confusing?_

"Kjelle!" Sumia waved to the knight who hadn't even removed her armour; she looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Sumia. What do you want?"

"Have you seen Da-Cynthia anywhere?" Asked the older woman, mentally berating herself for slipping up on her name.

"No, sorry. I hadn't even realised she was here." Kjelle answered honestly and shortly, picking her sword back up.

"Horse plop." Muttered Sumia, turning around to go and brave the crowded camp again.

"Why would she hide from you? You're her hero, it seems odd that she wouldn't want to be following your every footstep." The olive-haired knight mused as she started sharpening her sword again, looking up at the woman before her in confusion.

"I don't know." She pushed a strand of hair from her face as she looked off into the trees. "All we really spoke about was the fact that she's already born in this time and has a different name."

At that sentence, Kjelle's eyes widened and she dropped her sword with a clang.

"Kjelle?!" Said Sumia in a shocked tone.

"It's nothing…" The young girl muttered unconvincingly as she picked her sword back up. "Maybe Cynthia's on the other side of camp?"

But the older woman was not convinced and instead decided to crouch down and try and meet Kjelle's eye; the knight kept turning her head, keeping her eyes downcast. Finally, she gave up and rested on her knees, almost sighing yet again-she was almost as bad as Cordelia. "What's so shocking about the fact Daisy's been born?"

"That's really not my place to say." The younger girl answered her rhetorical question. "Ask Cynthia when you're a bit closer, you know, when you've got more of a bond. And seriously look on the other side of camp, she definitely hasn't been this way."

* * *

Cynthia had ran from her parents without a moment's hesitation when she figured out what had happened differently in this time-line. Well, she had glanced back when her mother shouted after her only to fall over, but that wasn't really a moment of hesitation-more a moment of longing.

And, Gods, how she longed to be held in her parents arms again!

From the moment she turned a decade old she had longed to meet her parents again, to show them she had grown up to be a hero like them. To show them that, as much as she missed them and longed to have them teach her how to live, she didn't mind having to learn to survive as it meant she could be a hero like Lucy.

But more than anything, she wanted to meet them again to see if they had been happy before she was born-not distant and augmentative as they had been in her future.

* * *

That moment just before she stepped through the portal, she'd had Gerome by her side, his cape fluttering against the dimensional wind. The white haired rider had lost his parents very early on and had become distant with everyone after Lucina suggested they try going back to save their past-even more so after Owain, Noire, Severa and Inigo left a few days after her. Soon, it was just the two of them holding down the crumbling fort of their future, getting more and more battered and bruised as the days went by.

Then, weeks after Laurent and Yarne left, a portal to the past opened up before them. Cynthia wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to save the world, and she wasn't going to let Gerome stay behind in a world beyond saving.

They argued while they fought off the Risen trying to get through the portal-she fell off her pegasus and sustained a particularly bad wound just a few feet from the opening, causing Gerome to pick her up onto Minerva and fight with her behind him. Eventually, when all the Risen were dealt with for that moment, Cynthia got a good look at her wound and realised if she was going to stay in this world, she'd die. And if she died, Gerome would die with her-killing as many Risen as possible to avenge her.

However, even when she pointed out their immanent deaths while sliding off of the wyvern, he still refused to cross through time. So, instead, Cynthia stood facing him with her back to the portal and whistled. Her pegasus barrelled into Minerva, causing the creature to lose it's balance with a screech and go spiralling into the portal-her wings flapping uselessly against the winds of time as she and Gerome fell. With a mischievous smile, Cynthia mounted her stirring pegasus as quickly as her injured body would allow and flew in after him, the portal closing almost before the creature's tail had fitted through.

The pegasus knight and mount landed heavily in a field just outside a busy town, both exhausted, battered and completely lost as to where they were in time and space. With her bunches falling from their ties-blooded near the scalp where Risen had pulled at them-her armour scuffed and battered, and a wound that looked mortal running from ankle to just below the rib, Cynthia was sure she'd come back in time just to die somewhere a little more peaceful.

A dark and morbid chuckle escaped her lips as she attempted to sit up only to feel a bone crack somewhere near her abdomen: she probably sounded like Henry as she lay on her back laughing as the icy touch of death entered her veins. Her mount stood to the side of her-eating actual grass instead of the mossy dirt that cover the future's burnt ground-it's wings dripping red and saddle full of items that could heal her just beyond her grip.

Just as her eyes started to cloud and red filled her vision, the Gods decided to spare her, by sending a trickster in search of soldiers willing to do the dirty work for him finding her. He healed her slowly, testing her pain tolerance to see if she would prove a worthy soldier, but within the week, Cynthia the optimistic and heroic was back and fighting for a guy masquerading as Chrom. Looking back, she couldn't figure out how she missed the fact that he wasn't Chrom-especially since he didn't have Lucy's navy hair, the brand, or Sumia in his small army.

* * *

And, after everything she'd been through to meet her parents again, she'd run away when one thing that seemed almost trivial had been brought up.

She knew she shouldn't have run, she knew she should have explained why the fact that they had already birthed a daughter into this world caused her to cry and flee. But they seemed so happy, and she didn't want to spoil that by telling them what had become of them, her and the child who existed in this time-line and not hers.

So, to stop herself saying anything, she ran to the camp and then ran some more until she was crying in the trees to the west of it, wishing it would be easy to explain something she hadn't been able to see in her time. Even in her earliest memories, her parents were distant with each other and seemingly unhappy. As she sat sniffling on the dew-damp floor, she knew she was getting worked up over nothing: she should be happy their happy, not crying over what she now suspected to be the cause of their unhappiness in her time!

The sniffles finally subsided when she felt the presence of someone stood beside her. Wiping away her tears, Cynthia looked up at the man stood beside her and met his dark eyes. Quickly, she looked away; not wanting him to notice the stains of tears surrounding her eyes. He noticed-of course he did, he could spot an arrow being shot from over a mile away if it was aimed at someone he cared for. However, instead of the chiding she expected-and would have received from her father in the future-he simply sat down next to her and hugged her with one arm, his other holding his arrow wound lightly. This made her cry all over again, and he didn't let go as she shook, keeping her close as the wooded area started to darken-signalling the approaching dusk and wedding of two of his newest allies.

"Cynthia." Lon'qu said her name simply and quietly as she stopped shaking again. "I don't know what happened in your past, I can't possibly imagine what it was like to lose two parents. But, I do understand loss, particularly the loss of a loved one. I promise, you won't lose us again. And, even with Daisy being born now, we will still care for you, should you need and want us."

"Father…" She wanted to tell him she wasn't bothered by any of that, she wanted to ask if he would remember her even when the war ended. More than anything, she wanted to tell him what had really made her cry, why Daisy's existence caused her so much pain; she wanted to tell him he was so different from the commanding father she remembered. Instead, she just hugged him back and said: "Thank you."

"Come on," he stood up slowly but gracefully-the kind of grace that Cynthia wished she'd inherited-and held out a hand to help her to her feet. As she pulled herself up, she noticed her legs were still shaking and unsteady, but she took a step anyway, hoping not to trip. Of course, she did, but Lon'qu was there to catch and steady her, helping her to regain her balance by offering a strong and calloused hand.

Cynthia took it with a genuine smile. At least some parts of her future were true in the past-her father would always catch her or mother when they fell.

* * *

As soon as the father and future daughter got back to camp, Sumia ran up to and embraced them. The mousey-haired knight held onto her daughter long after her husband had pulled away embarrassedly. Pulling back with tears in her eyes, she apologised for possibly making Cynthia feel unwanted and told her that-for as long as she was nearby-they would take care of her and make up for all the time their future counterparts had lost. Pulling it gently from her pocket, Sumia showed her daughter the spearhead she dropped and promised that, whenever time would allow it, she would finish making it with her.

A heartbeat or two past before the dark haired girl started crying all over again, pulling her parents in for another hug, but this time she was grinning and giggling, knowing that her parents would stop at nothing to make her happy, grateful at having the chance to meet them again.

And, for the rest of that week-up until she met Gerome again-she forgot all about her future and what her parents already having a child in this time meant for her. It was just the three of them, making up for everything she had lost in her future's past.


	3. The Future's Past

_First thing first, SO sorry for not updating this for, ahem, several months... There's no good excuse; busy with work, illnesses and social problems don't really cover it since I have been working on novels in this time..._

 _Anyway, sorry, and thanks to any and all who have stuck with me, reviewed, favourited, followed, and hello to anyone new who is just seeing this for the first time! Hopefully a nice long chapter will help you forgive me?_

 _This chapter starts cheery, but it does take a very dark turn about halfway through since it focuses on what happened to Sumia, Lon'qu and Daisy in the future; be forewarned of character death, some somewhat graphic scenes and the truth about Daisy finally being revealed!_

 _I would appreciate any feedback on the darker parts as it's not something I write a lot of and would like to get better at it. I would also like to apologise if the future diverts from the canon a little, though I imagine you would expect that coming in a story such as this. Finally, I also apologise if the characters (by which I mean Cynthia) seem a little out-of-character, she'd going through some tragic stuff and I wanted to represent that, but I don't know if I lost her voice along the way-any feedback on that would also be appreciated._

 _I've started the fourth and final chapter now, so as long as nothing too bad happens within the next week-and I don't get too busy with work-I should have the last chapter up before the end of the month-year at worst._

 _Okay, for anyone still reading this, enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think, and please forgive me for not updating sooner!_

* * *

Daisy

3\. The Future's Past

The trio unfortunately missed the actual wedding ceremony for Henry and Cherche, but did enjoy the small party they held for the occasion afterwards. With Cynthia finally feeling happy to meet her parents again, she watched with a wide grin as they proceeded to dance with the other couples at the wedding, surprised to see a slight blush on her father's cheeks as he took her mother's hand for the first time that night. Back in her time, she'd heard stories of Lon'qu formally having a fear of women-being near and touching them, from what she remembered-but she had never seen him hesitate around a woman at all. Although, now that she thought back, she couldn't actually remember a time he'd touched a woman other than her-and, considering how young she'd been at the time, it wasn't that surprising that he would have hugged her.

But, as she watched him spin his wife around with the kind of grace and ease of step that Sumia would never be able to achieve naturally, she knew she wouldn't have to worry about her parents falling out of love again. She just didn't like thinking of the reason why they fell out of love back in her time.

So, instead, she thought about Gerome and how much he would love to be at this wedding; how much he would enjoy watching his parents marry when they were both young and less morbid-although Henry still laughed in that same death-crazed way he had when she'd known him in her past. Lucina had been present at her parents' wedding (still hiding behind the name Marth) and said it was an incredible thing to witness. Brady had been distraught to learn he'd already missed it, though he did realise that if he had been present it might have been difficult to explain where he came from and why he also had the same shade of navy hair as 'Marth'.

After sorting things out with her parents, Cynthia had finally announced her presence to the rest of the camp and Lucina had been the first to hug and welcome her to the future children's area of the army. Before she had the chance to talk to everyone, she was hugged by Severa and invited to share a tent with her-needless to say Cynthia was the least surprised by the resident Ice-Queen acting so out of character and happily took the invitation.

The raven-haired knight then changed into the only piece of down-wear she'd brought with her from her time and socialised with her old friends as she experienced her first night of peace since her parents died and she'd been forced to fight to survive.

Still, as she was left alone to watch the party proceed around her, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Gerome since he had landed in this time only minutes before her. Her thoughts were still wondering where the other rider could have landed and what he could be doing that she jumped when she felt someone whisper next to her ear.

"Hey there. Care for a dance, beautiful?"

Immediately after jumping out for her skin in shock at being spoken to, Cynthia then proceeded to slap the man stood behind her-not for his offer, but for the fact that he'd scared her. Inigo really didn't take it well. His startled scream caused several of the nearby dancers to look over in surprise at the sound-though they quickly lost interest when they realised what had happened and to whom.

"OH! Ohmigosh! Inigo! Are you okay?!" She asked as soon as she realised whom she'd hit, turning to properly look at him and the large red mark he now had on the side of his face. To his credit, aside from being a little shocked and rubbing the stinging red mark, he was still smiling as he realised whom he'd attempted to hit on.

"I'm fine, you're certainly not the first woman to slap me, though you are a lot stronger than most…" The mercenary grinned at her. "Besides, that's my bad anyway. I didn't recognise you with your hair down." He pointed at her fluffy locks which rested just below her shoulder-blades for the night instead of their customary bunches.

"I'm so, SO, sorry. You really shocked me!" Cynthia continued to apologise even after he'd claimed responsibly, but Inigo simply smiled as she gushed out apologies.

"Cynthia, relax. I'm fine, you're fine. You got a little scared and I messed up by flirting with someone I knew, it's no big deal. Though, what were you thinking about to keep you so distracted from your surroundings like that?"

"Oh…" The knight paused as she thought about whether she should tell him. In the end, she sighed and said: "I was just thinking about how much Gerome would want to be here."

And there it was, the flicker of loss and worry; the darkening of the eyes as a memory that hadn't been thought about in months resurfaced; the scowling of the brow as he became disappointed in himself for forgetting. The falling of the ever present smile from his lips as he feared for what had become of one of his oldest friends.

And then it was gone without a trace, a phoney smile plastered on his face once again.

"Yeah, I suppose he would want to be here," Inigo said, rubbing the back of his neck with a small grin on his lips. "But, I'm sure he's alright, wherever he is…"

"But don't you worry that he might not have made it? I don't remember him being hurt, but-" Fretted Cynthia, looking away from him as she didn't want to see that phoney smile again.

"Cynthia." He grabbed her arms and turned her to face him. While her lip was quivering against the possibility of tears, his smile had become genuine as he pulled her in for a hug. "I understand your worry, but I'm sure Gerome is fine. So, come on, no more tears today. Smile for me instead."

Slowly, a grin formed on her face again as she hugged one of her oldest friends.

"Ah, there she is!" Inigo pulled back to see her shy smile on her features and then took her hand to pull her onto the dance floor. "Now, I believe you owe me a dance…"

"I never agreed to dance with you!" She protested weakly as he arranged her hands into the right positions.

"You also never disagreed." He pointed out with a chuckle which made her laugh as he started to lead. "Don't worry about falling, I'm a good enough dancer to carry us both."

* * *

The rest of the night was spent socialising and dancing as she tried to forget her worries about what could have possibly happened to Gerome. There may have been some alcohol involved in that forgetting process but the sprightly young woman woke up with out the slightest hangover-much to the annoyance of Severa who had drunk far less and ended up worse off.

But that wedding night helped Cynthia loosen up for the next seven days before memories of her past came back to haunt her again.

The week after the wedding, she spent as much time as she could with her parents past selves. With Sumia she started working on the lance that had been left unfinished in her time, watching as her mother's hands deftly shaped the wood and sharpened the head to perfection. They spent their time chatting, mother finding out as much about her daughter as possible while her daughter did the same back. It was amazing for them both to finally have someone with whom they shared so many similar interests; someone they could speak to freely and easily without worrying about what the other thought. Someone who they could happily call a best friend.

The time Cynthia spent with Lon'qu was quite different: he taught her how to wield a sword and how to fence. While she had taught herself how to joust so she could become an effective pegasus knight, she had never had the opportunity to learn how to wield a sword as deftly as her father. He taught her like it was a language-one in which he was fluent-and she learnt quick, soon finding a way to incorporate it into her jousting technique. The two barely spoke during these encounters and spent any time not sparing sat together in a comfortable silence as they watched the world move past them in their secluded little grove. They became closer in a much different way to her and her mother, but it was still time spent with someone she never hoped to forget, and prayed he wouldn't either.

And, in a way, it was all she had ever wanted out of meeting her parents again. She really did forget why she was back in this world for a week and it was more like she had two new best friends than two young parents. The thought of them already having a daughter in this time never entered her mind as they made her feel as wanted as Daisy was.

Then Gerome was found.

The three had been told to stay out of the battle so they took the opportunity to spent the free few hours as a family and had a small picnic just outside of the camp. In the days that followed that event, Cynthia would come to regret just how happy she felt in those hours, but back then she was simply elated to be able to spent time with her family like she was. They made their way back to the camp while conversing happily about the butterflies they had seen out in the meadow where they had sat, unaware that their happy week was about to come to an end.

She saw his cape and white hair before she saw his face.

Shouting his name while she was halfway through a conversation with her parents, she dropped everything she was carrying to run to him with outstretched arms and tears in her eyes. He barely had time to turn around before he was barrelled into by the young pegasus knight.

Neither one could mask the broad grins on their faces as she hugged him and he shyly did the same back. Everyone around them knew that emotion so plain on their faces as they recognised each other again in a world both similar to their own and yet so brand new. For them, time stood still for all of a moment as they finally stopped worrying what had become of one another, as they reunited once again.

And then it came rushing back, all at once and much too quickly, leaving them to blush as they pulled away and pretended nothing emotional had happened. Leaving Cynthia with the memories of their time again and what had happened to Daisy, herself and her parents in it.

"It's great to see you again, Gerome! SO glad you're alright. But, I've just remembered I forgot to feed the pegasus this morning, so, will you excuse me…!" With that she ran in the direction of her tent-not the stable-leaving Gerome to stand bashfully confused in the middle of camp with everyone staring at him.

"Um…" He muttered awkwardly as Sumia and Lon'qu stared at him in confusion and slight anger, his mask barely covering his blush. Then Inigo sauntered into the camp-with a slightly downcast look to his features that could only suggest he'd just gotten turned down by another girl, or dozen-and saw the wyvern rider stood in the middle of camp.

Much like Cynthia, he squealed his old friend's name and barrelled into him for a hug. Gerome was much less happy about hugging him than Cynthia, but did take him up on his offer to be 'tent buddies'. The crowd that had formed when he and Cynthia hugged slowly dispersed as Inigo reunited with one of his oldest friends and told him of all his failed attempts to hit on women. Henry and Cherche were more than a little surprised that their seemingly shy and stoic son was friends with the flirt, but they were more surprised that he seemed to be smitten with the outgoing pegasus knight.

In much the same way, Sumia and Lon'qu were shocked that their daughter was interested in a man like Gerome. Though that was the last thing on their mind when they found her again and heard the story of her past.

* * *

"Cynthia?" Whispered Sumia as she scratched her daughter's tent flap as a way of knocking. There was no reply, just the muffled sound of sobbing. "Cynthia, what's wrong? You can tell us anything, no judgement."

When there was still no reply but crying, Lon'qu decided to try and get his daughter to talk. "Severa told us you were in there on your own, Cynthia. We will force our way in to make sure you are well if we have to."

"No, we won't force our way in, if you don't want us to." The older knight gave her husband a look for suggesting such a thing.

"Speak for yourself…"

"Lon'qu. Don't."

"Don't fight… Please…" A quiet voice that didn't sound like their outgoing daughter's was heard from inside the tent. The couple turned at the sound and statement with raised eyebrows, unsure what to say.

"We won't, but can you please tell us what's bothering you to tears?" Sumia said, sitting down on her knees outside the tent and encouraging her husband to do the same.

"Its… my past… You two fought a lot in it… because…" Cynthia hiccuped as she realised she was about to tell her parents the one thing she'd sworn never to tell them. As she realised she couldn't stop herself from telling them the whole story.

"In my past, a year or to before I was born, you started arguing constantly… Everyone said it was a horrible thing to see two so suited fall out of love so completely."

"Why would that have happened?" Lon'qu asked confusedly as he finally settled down outside the tent flap with his wife.

"Because… Mother had a miscarriage, and Daisy was never born."

* * *

Shortly after Sumia and Lon'qu's wedding, a semi-insane Robin had decided to leave the Shepards since there was peace in the realms and he had no control over his friends as their tactician anymore. He went on a pilgrimage to the place where Emmeryn had fallen in this time and heard a voice, a horrible voice. A voice that could give him power over the entire population.

And so Robin submitted to the power of Grima and became one with the God, without even a shred of regret in his conceited being.

While he was off in Plegia growing in power and figuring out the best way for him to use it, the Shepards were off getting married and having children like they did in this time. Sumia and Lon'qu were among the first to fall with child and they were ecstatic at the possibility of being parents, much like they were in this time. Their friends would congratulate them, dote on them, tell them they were one of the cutest couples they have ever seen. And they loved the attention, if only because it proved the meddlesome tactician-and their former royal love interests-wrong.

However, five months into the pregnancy, the worst happened.

Libra and a newly pregnant Lissa worked tirelessly when Lon'qu brought his wife in before them-Maribelle was too far gone with child to be able to help, and filled with a streak of spite that wanted the man whom she was formally interested in to suffer in his new relationship. But it came down to a choice to lose the child or lose them both. Sumia just barely made a recovery, but her unborn daughter never had the chance to.

The too small babe was buried in the castle grounds next to her grandmother-who had suffered from a form of heart failure when she heard her granddaughter didn't make it. Long after everyone else had left the morbid funeral procession, Sumia and Lon'qu stayed and stared at the tiny mound and less tiny mound before them. Finally, after being unable to make his wife leave with him, only the mother to one mound and daughter to the other remained. Unthinking, she took a daisy from the bouquet left on her mother's grave and plucked the petals off one by one, letting them fall on the smaller grave.

The last one fell excruciatingly slowly as it twisted against the wind, but the answer to her fortune was simple: it was the exact opposite to the last time she performed it.

So she left the graves as clouds began to cover the sky, bringing with them the dusty smell of snow. As she began to feel that emptiness in her womb and heart once again.

As she left her love for her husband behind with the petals.

* * *

But a month later, Lucina was born to accompany the already toddling Kjelle. Owain was born five months after that, and-before Sumia could truly process the fact that her best friend had married when she was still clearly in love with Chrom-Cordelia was off announcing her pregnancy with Virion.

All around Sumia, her friends and allies were off getting married and pregnant, while she was sat at her home near the castle, getting depressed and more angry with her husband with each passing day. The two would wake up and fight, train with real blades and then fight with words, go to their separate beds after having their nightly fight. Yes, the death of a child often forced a couple apart, but it didn't for those two, it left them living together with spite for each other instead.

Lon'qu would go off on his own on potentially fatal missions for weeks at a time but would never be one of the _'lucky ones'_ as he saw his fallen allies. Instead, he would return to his empty wife and they would have one night of lust filled passion before returning to their fighting once again.

For almost a year after the miscarriage, this pattern remained unbroken. That was, until Sumia fell pregnant with Cynthia after one of those lust filled nights.

By this point in time, almost everyone else was with child or had already had one-in Maribelle's case, she was a part of both categorises as she was already a month or so pregnant with her son, boasting about it to anyone who'd listen and not caring about the possibility of it being to early to announce lest she have miscarriage as unfortunate as Sumia's. It was probably jealousy and annoyance at her being the only member of the Shepards outside of Nowi and Ricken to not have a child breathing or on the way that made Sumia want to have a child of her own.

Even if it meant it being fathered by a man she'd come to loathe.

Despite her having a miscarriage last time, Sumia was happy to tell anyone who'd listen that she was pregnant again as soon as she'd had it confirmed. It was needless to say that everyone was shocked that she had been in a room long enough with her husband to conceive, but they all congratulated the pair, praying to every benevolent God that she not have another disaster and that this child would bring her and her husband close again.

The Gods only answered one of their wishes for, a little under nine months later, Cynthia was born to parents who still rarely shared a bed and spent ever waking moment together fighting over one thing or another. It can never be a good start to life when the first thing a newborn babe hears is the sound of her parents arguing over whose grandmother she should be named after.

But, after the other Shepards got feed up of hearing the arguments and made them flip a gold piece for it, Cynthia was named after Sumia's grandmother and brought up to be her mother's daughter with a streak of clumsiness a mile wide and hair as dark as her father's.

And, for a few years at least, Cynthia managed to bridge some of the chasm that had formed between her parents. Unfortunately, it wasn't long, before everyone was fighting for their lives and the future of their young children.

Cynthia was barely two when Robin first reappeared.

He'd been gone for almost half a decade by this point and everyone welcomed him back with open arms, happy to see their tactician still alive. But it wasn't long before his new and true colours surfaced. In that timeline, Robin had given in and decided he needed to be in control of everything, so he became the vessel for the Grima that his father had always wanted; he made sure he would always be in control by sacrificing himself to what he assumed was the greater good.

Robin became a God.

So, while some worshipped him at first, all fled in fear eventually. They fled soon after he started killing people who he had once called friends, allies.

The war on Grima started soon after Flavia came crawling to Ylisstol-bloddy and broken-telling them that Basillio was dead by Robin's hand. She just barely said that before her last breath escaped and Grima's first two murders were complete.

* * *

"That started the war on Grima and his vessel Robin, a tactician once loved. It was almost two years after that that my friends started to lose their parents." Cynthia spoke quietly and solemnly, barely sobbing anymore, from inside her tent. Leaning her head against the flaps that her parents sat next to, they listened in shock as they learnt that they hadn't wanted Cynthia, that Daisy had been a miscarriage, that they had fallen so completely and utterly _out_ of love after the failed birth of their first daughter.

Now almost beyond the point of tears, their dark haired daughter spoke matter-of-factly as she told her parents of all their friends deaths in order-Frederick, Gregor, Virion, Sully, Henry and Ricken… by the time she got round to their deaths, the only people remaining were Kellam, Libra, Cordelia, Nowi and Gaius.

No parent wants to leave their child alone and defenceless in the world, definitely not one so dire as the future childrens'. And no parent wants to hear the story of how they died, leaving their six year old daughter alone and defenceless in the world…

"I was barely six by the time you two died, but I'd already seen most of my friends lose their parents so, in a way, I was prepared." Continued Cynthia as she started her last leg of the tragedy of the future.

"It's never easy to watch everyone you know and love be told their parents aren't coming back, but it's harder to be the only one with both parents still alive in a world of death and destruction. Everyone envied me, my innocence and my girly, optimistic attitude, as they were forced to fight to survive… I didn't need to, you two were still there to fight for me. Though, Mother did start to teach me to craft a lance but a few days before she died… I think you knew it was coming after Father's death…

"I was with you, Father. I was with you when you died.

"I don't remember much of your death, for better or worse… I remember you shouting; you wanted me to get behind you… I remember the sword; its swish-thunk as it struck bone… I remember the heat; the hot, red splash that hit my face as it struck you just below the ribs… I remember-I remember the way your torso was cut through from your right side to your navel… And I remember the flames that magically erupted on your killer as Mother flew in to save you (she was a dark flier in my time) all of a second too late.

"And while that all seems a little hazy to me now, I know I won't ever forget the last moment between the two of you.

"Father, you flinched from Mother's touch as she tried to help you, but yielded when red froth erupted from your lips as you tried to speak. Mother was crying, sobbing, weeping; begging to Naga to spare you so that you might finally patch things up. But Naga wouldn't listen-she was long dead for all we knew…

"But, then Father did something spectacular. With his last ounce of strength, he made some motions with his hands; his bloodied, calloused hands that had always caught me when I fell… That never held me again… … He signed 'I love you' to Mother. And she spoke it back. Then, he proceeded to turn his head to face me; a painful, bloody smile on his too pale lips… His dark eyes, clouding and sinking into the recesses of his sockets… Dark hair muddy and matted against the dirt that passed for grass…

"Father smiled at me, winked… And then he was gone."

Lon'qu listened in shock as he had his future death recounted back to him, as he learnt that he had still remembered sign-language in that time, as he realised he'd still taught Sumia back then when they had been in love. The stoic swordmaster was on the brink of tears as he realised he'd failed to keep his engagement promise to his wife back in that time, as he knew that they had still loved each other, even after everything, even if it did take his death to remind them.

And Sumia almost interrupted their future daughter as she started again, not wanting to hear of her death too, but she didn't get her words out in time, she was too busy thinking about how she was _always_ a second too late.

"Mother… Your death came less than a week later.

"Do you remember all those stories I told you, about you being the most formidable hero ever? The best pegasus knight ever? Almost all of them took place after Father's death.

"You were also the last pegasus knight ever; Cordelia died the day before you. ... That was your last straw. You'd gone insane after Father's death… 'Berserk', that was how Gaius described it after Cordelia's…

"When you stepped out that door the morning that you left me forever, I asked you why you were always leaving me with the other kids, I begged you to stay with us… I didn't want to lose you like I'd lost Father…

"Before his death, you were always with Libra, the two of you would keep an eye on us, protect us… He died protecting us when you were out on a mission… Laurent was a mess, clutching onto his Mother's hat for dear life as Gaius got rid of the last few murderers and told us everything would be fine… …

"Anyway, the day you died, you knelt to my height and said… You said 'We're not born heroes, Cynthia. We make ourselves heroes by risking our lives to save the ones we love. Your father understood that, and he did that everyday. … Cynthia, it's time for Mother to be the hero. One day, one day, maybe you'll understand why I'm having to do this, one day, maybe someone will tell you what kind of sins your father and I had to atone for… But, listen to me, Cynthia: I want you to remain my little innocent girl… Don't be a hero like your mother.'

"And then you left, folding that spearhead we'd been working on into my hand and kissing my knuckles before you did…

"I never saw you again… I did see a cloth-wrapped body on a stretcher as you were brought back to the palace the next day… There wasn't enough time to recover Father's body after he died…

"...Your pegasus returned late that night, bloodied, battered and exhausted. She wouldn't let anyone but me touch her... I'll never forget the taste of the cherry candy Gaius gave me when he saw her. Something to sweeten the mood, he said… A sweet the colour of blood and yet so different in taste…

"Gaius was the last to die, less than a day later; he died a hero like the rest of you… But none of us wanted heroes; we wanted our parents back.

"Lucy, ever the strong leader, banded us together… And I tried my best to be optimistic at every turn, though it wasn't easy… Sure, I was among the last to lose both my parents, but I was the only one unlucky enough to lose them both within a week… I had the most adjusting to do, and the least amount of time to do it in…

"So, in the spirit of rebellion, I ignored Mother's last words, learnt to joust, learnt to fly… Taught Gerome how to get over his vertigo… I lost my innocent, girly side, I became the hero I always wanted to be, the one my mother never wanted me to become...

"I learnt to survive in a world that wanted me dead.

"And then one day, I finally accepted the truth that Gaius had told me soon after you left the day you left for good…

"I accepted the fact that my unborn big sister had caused all that loathing between the two of you, I accepted that _she_ was what made you miserable, I accepted that _she_ was what made you both heroes, not me. I accepted that everything you'd done since my birth was to make up for the loss of _her_ a year before me, I accepted that the two of you never truly loving me, _wanting_ me, was the sin you had to atone for.

"I accepted that your deaths weren't to save my future, they were done for each of you, to show your love for one another, your mutual wishing that _she_ had been born so that you could have been happy with _me_.

"You two might love and want me as your daughter, but my actual parents always wanted Daisy. I was just the unwanted consolation prize. … That's why I wanted to be a hero, I had so many to love, to be loved by… I wanted to risk my life for them… For... _Her_ …

"Because I loved her too! I just wished I could have met her… I wished my parents could love us both…"

A silence followed, punctuated only by the sobbing of Cynthia behind the flaps of her tent doors. The sun was starting to set, its last light bathing the world gold and red-victory and blood. There were crickets chirping somewhere in the bushes, and yet the atmosphere of silence and tension could not be broken by even them. Finally, Sumia rose and pushed the tent flaps aside, holding them open as she and her husband entered their future, scared daughter's quarters. Surprisingly, Lon'qu embraced her, holding her in his calloused hands once more; holding a handkerchief to her to blot her eyes, Sumia told her daughter that she had always been wanted, it might not have seemed that way, but she wasn't just some kind of consolation prize.

But the seeds of doubt had been cast, and Cynthia's parents truly feared that that was the truth of her past. Their ever optimistic daughter smiled, ridded herself of tears and pretended she was fine, that she wasn't jealous of Daisy. That she hadn't just revealed her true, sad colours without realising it.

However, nothing was quite the same between the three of them for the rest of the war. With heavy hearts, Sumia and Lon'qu suspected that it never would be the same again, that they had been horrible parents in the future's past. As for Cynthia, she regretted ever wanting to get close to her young parents, she regretted ever telling them all that. And while she was glad to see them happy and in love, she hated that it was her little big sister causing that, not her.

The optimistic Cynthia still suspected it would _never_ be her causing her parents' intense happiness.


	4. Big Little Sister

_Very quick disclaimer that I don't own any of the direct quotes I use about half way through this._

 _Okay, so, since my last update, something bad did happen in that week that meant I couldn't get this finished until now. So, I want to briefly say I'm sorry to anyone who has had even half as bad a year as I have, my heart goes out to you._

 _Anyway, onto the fic: this is the last chapter, and possibly the most out of character and out of my usual style. So, and I beg of you, please review to tell me what you think of this, do you like how it ended, is there anything you think I should improve on for future fics? Are you now a fan of the impossible SumiaXLon'qu pairing, do you like CynthiaXGerome? Tell me what you think, anything is useful so long as it's not just blatantly saying it's crap-which I really hope it's not._

 _Thank you to anyone who bared with me with this, I hope I've done Lon'qu and Sumia's story justice._

 _Apologies for the sporadic nature of the updates and any of the characters seeming out-of-character, I like to think you're just seeing a side of them you wouldn't see in the game, if that helps. And, sorry that it's a bit on the long side..._

 _But, enjoy! And, here's to a hopefully better and more productive New Year!_

* * *

Daisy

4\. Big Little Sister

Things remained distant between the trio as the months of war passed by. There were many, many attempts by both parents to try and open their daughter up to them again, but she remained the same as always: smiley, optimistic and cheerful around camp, and yet so distant and incommunicable when it came to the two of them. With each passing day, it became more and more evident that there would be no way to regain that relationship they'd had with their daughter, but, as Lucina was so fond of saying, hope would never die.

For every step forward-working on the lance with Sumia or on her fighting technique with her father-there was always another five back as something, some small act, reminded Cynthia of her past, and their lack of love for her in it. Those actions ranged from the simple touching of Lon'qu calloused hands to hers as he perfected her grip on the sword leading her to drop it or lose focus; to just seeing the two of them around camp or in battle, so happy and obviously in love that it often hurt to stare too long, lest she remember the reason for the difference between their timelines.

Every time Sumia and/or Lon'qu came to talk to her, suggest they do something together, Cynthia remembered how happy she'd been with them for the week-even the hour-before she told them what had happened in her past. Every time she'd humour them, go with them for a bit before she could take no more, before it came back to haunt her yet again. Guilt, regret, sorrow-emotions no one would normally associate with the dark-haired knight-they all came back to claim her every time she started to feel loved by her past parents. A part of her resented the fact that she felt it back, even if she was their daughter and therefore meant to feel that way; they had been her parents, and they hadn't loved her more than was required in her time.

But, more than anything, she _hated_ her little big sister.

 _Daisy… What a stupid name,_ Cynthia would think to herself in moments of silent self-loathing. _Why couldn't you have survived in my time? Why did you have to leave me to deal with Mother and Father on my own? What did Naga need you for?_

There was one saving grace to all this loathing, hate and regret-she didn't have to hide it from everyone. Once she cracked him, got him out of his own self-loathing for being stuck in a past he never wanted to visit, a certain white-haired rider was indebted to help her through her own troubles.

Gerome wasn't exactly happy to help her-and he was sure there were others in the camp far more qualified to help her, Severa, for example-but he took her under his metaphorical wing with Minerva taking her under her literal own, if only because she knew his true colours and he was curious about hers.

Curiosity was an inquisitive feeling by nature though, and as soon as Gerome's was satisfied on the subject of Cynthia, he barely knew what to do with the information he had just gleaned. That the optimistic knight had such a sad and broken side had never occurred to him, but now it seemed all too clear. It was almost impossible for him not to compare her to his 'tent buddy' Inigo, who was also often all optimism and smiles, trying to be the strong one for everyone else.

The white-haired rider had never thought that Cynthia would be the same, she'd always seemed so genuine. Though, since her telling of the future past to her parents, Cynthia had lost some of her usual pep; everyone had noticed that some of her actions seemed uncertain, some of her smiles affected.

No one bothered to question her on it, about the time of Cynthia's telling and realisation of her past, everyone else had started to find out about Robin's true colours in their destroyed future.

Many future children had known that it was he who was Grima's vessel, but Lucina had always refused to believe them-she couldn't fathom the idea of her father's trusted tactician being his killer. Then evidence started to drip through and Lucina started to believe what all of her friends had told her. The truth came out, and while many were surprised to learn that their tactician had the potential for evil, _everyone_ was surprised to learn that he had been ready to sacrifice his life for the greater good before Chrom stepped in.

Sumia and Lon'qu were among the few who were unsurprised to learn Robin had the capacity to be a malicious God; not only had they heard from Cynthia before hand, but they had seen his lust for control back when they had just barely fallen in love. Really, it had surprised those two more when they saw how affected he was by the news, how willing he was to submit to a death by Lucina's hand.

For a while, most of the Shepards spent every waking moment figuring out how they could be sure that Robin wouldn't submit again this time around, how to ensure that their charismatic tactician wouldn't be lead astray. But, there were four in the army who couldn't have cared less about their tactician's woes, both because they were certain it wouldn't happen again and because they were too preoccupied with their own concerns.

Sumia and Lon'qu still spent whatever free time they had trying to open their raven-haired daughter up to them again, make her realise that they loved her, and that her past parents had loved her too, perhaps not to the same degree, but they had. Cynthia spent her time with them wanting to believe them, wanting to be close with them, while simultaneously regretting ever loving and wanting to be close with them, hating their young daughter irrationally. And Gerome spent his time trying to get his close friend back on track, make her realise the truth in her parents' words and love.

Eventually, Gerome went to Cynthia's parents himself to try and talk to them.

* * *

It was just after a battle that Gerome had been told to sit out on when he saw the two of them head his way-a little battered but not broken. He knew just what to say.

"Sumia, Lon'qu!" He self-consciously called to them, causing them both to stop and stare in shock as they realised just who'd shouted. They made their way hesitantly over, this was their first time having a proper conversation with their daughter's _'partner'_ after all.

"Gerome." Said Lon'qu inclination of his head to him as he and his wife walked over. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Cynthia."

Sumia gasped and smiled in the most motherly way the rider had ever seen. "Is this to ask for her hand?!" The older woman all but squealed.

"W-What?!" A bright blush erupted on the pale rider's features, made even brighter by his attempts to make it fade failing, he thanked Naga that his mask hid most of it. "N-No! Not right now!"

"So you do intend to marry her someday?!" Sumia's excited remark was spoken at the same time as her husband said: "That's a shame. A wedding might be just the thing to return her smile."

Blushing brighter still at those remarks, Gerome chose to ignore them as he got back to his initial train of thought. "W-well, actually, I wanted to talk to you about returning Cynthia's smile."

"Any suggestions would be appreciated, Gerome." Lon'qu said paternally as his wife pouted to herself.

"Try introducing her to Daisy."

"How, in the name of Naga, is that going to help?" The swordmaster was more than a little shocked with the suggestion.

"Trust me. Cynthia doesn't resent her as much as you might think, and I know she'd forgive if she could just see her. See how happy she makes you. How you can be parents to both of them." Gerome was really pushing his luck with this suggestion and he knew it, but he couldn't bare to see her hurt any more. Seeing her little sister, putting everything into perspective was the only way he could think of to make her see reason, and the fact that her parents clearly loved them both. It would in no way make up for the crappy parents she had in her future, but they all had bad parents in their future due to the circumstances, everyone was starting over now.

And it was all too strange to Gerome that Cynthia couldn't accept that if he could.

"All right." Lon'qu said after a shrug in the way of acceptance off his wife. "As soon as convenient, we'll take Cynthia to Ylisstol to see Daisy. I'd be willing to try anything at this point just to get her smiling genuinely again."

Gerome nodded and turned on his heel as a way of concluding the conversation.

"Oh, and Gerome?" Sumia called after him as he began to move away from where the two still stood. He looked back over his shoulder at them and saw Cynthia stood only a few feet behind them, close enough to hear what her mother was about to say.

"Your welcome to Cynthia's hand if she wants yours. No one else on camp would go to such lengths to get a genuine smile out of her."

Not even his mask could hide the blush that followed as Cynthia's eyebrows raised into her hairline behind them. Cape swishing as he turned with speed, he pretended that conversation hadn't happened, heading off in the opposite direction to his partners past parents who were so different from her future's.

* * *

"So, Gerome, what were you talking to my parents about earlier?" Cynthia asked playfully as they stood on patrol later that night. The sun had set a few hours ago, most of their allies had been asleep for an hour or so by now, but the pair were still up and on duty as the owls and bats swooped past through the natural wind tunnel they stood in. Minerva had to be put in the stable with the other mounts after she started chasing them too noisily.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Gerome said simply and stood deadpan, refusing to meet her eye as he stood facing forward, watching her do the same from the corner of his eye.

"Really?" She turned to look up at him, smiling sweetly and mischievously enough, but there was still a wobble of concern in it's line for it to be considered genuine. "Then why…" Said she as she moved to stand in front of him, her hands moving up to the sides of his face. Longing for what was possibly about to happen, Gerome stood still as Cynthia moved her hands to run through his hair so pale that glowed like a beacon in the dark of the night. His eyes closed as she raised herself onto her toes.

And all that happened was the feeling of weight being removed from the bridge of his nose.

Snapping his eyes back open, he saw Cynthia grinning as she held his mask to her face. "… Are you blushing so hard?" She giggled as he attempted to snatch his mask back from her.

" _Cynthia!"_

"Nuh-uh!" Chuckled she as she hid it behind her back, actually laughing now. For the first time in weeks, Cynthia was _laughing_ , genuinely, completely and honestly. Like she used to. And Gerome couldn't help but smile back as she giggled a laugh he was so used to hearing.

"You can get this back when you tell me what you were talking to my parents about earlier." Playfully, she waved it in front of his face, but hid it from view again as he tried to snatch it back.

"Ugh, fine." Crossing his arms over his chest, the rider plucked up the courage to tell her just what had transpired earlier, honestly. He knew she'd never lie to him, why should he to her? "I told them of a way to make you smile again."

That made her smile falter. Only a little, imperceptible to anyone who didn't know her well. But Gerome liked to think he knew her better than most, and he most definitely saw the wobble of her lip as she tried to bring it back to a wide grin.

"Oh, yeah?" Even her voice wobbled now. She cleared her throat, grinned again. "Was asking for my hand a part of that plan?"

Now it was Gerome's turn to falter. He blushed again and stuttered as he realised there was no good way out of this. Naga knew he didn't want to say no-it would break her heart. But, She also knew this was no time to be proposing, even if he did feel an inclination to. So, he blurted out something even worse.

"I told them they should take you to see Daisy."

At that Cynthia's playfulness disappeared, her features hardened and she looked at him in disdain. "And you thought that would make me smile, HOW, exactly?"

"W-well, I thought that it would help you realise your parents can love you both. Put things into perspective."

"Yeah?" She threw his mask back at him and turned around. "All it did was teach me not to confide in you. Congrats, Gerome. You've gone from being the only one who could actually make me smile to being someone I can't bare the thought of looking at."

"Cynthia!" Gerome called at her retreating back as she moved away from him, moved out of his life until the end of the war. Briefly, she did look back, but she stumbled as a result-damn her mother's klutzy gene.

* * *

And with that, Cynthia retreated away into her shell of optimistic, fake smiles. With everyone else so focused on Robin and the nearing of the end of the war, barely anyone paid attention to Cynthia's crisis and the attempts the three whom she was so annoyed with made to get her back to normal.

No, Cynthia remained aloof with them, only agreeing to see them when she had no other choice. It was a horrible few months for them until the end of the war came and the break they needed to open her up finally came.

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, Robin sacrificed himself to Grima.

It was hard for Sumia and Lon'qu in particular to come to terms with the fact that their tactician, who had paired the two together as a way to make sure that Maribelle and Chrom would ultimately get together; who had been so opposed to anything that wasn't in his control or wouldn't go his own way; who had but a few years before been on the brink of following the Robin in Cynthia's future in becoming the vessel for a God, had given himself up willingly to save the future.

So much had changed in their tactician while the two of them had been so preoccupied with their future daughter. But perhaps the most surprising fact around his sacrifice-not just for them, but everyone-was not his actual death, but how Lucina reacted to it.

' _Distraught'_ wouldn't have done it justice. _'Broken',_ perhaps, but it seemed more to be how a woman acts when she loses the love of her life to war. Chrom was not impressed when he first figured out that his future daughter was in love with his tactician and best friend. But, after watching how she acted soon afterwards, he soon came around to the idea of helping her on her search-and-rescue mission.

And while all this was going on, Sumia, Lon'qu and Gerome were all still trying to open Cynthia back up again. Make her genuine and optimistic again.

They almost succeed the weird day that Robin sacrificed himself and the war ended.

Everyone was in such a weird and messy place that day, that when the parents approached their estranged daughter and asked her if she would be willing to go to Ylisstol with them to see Daisy, all she could do way hug them both and say yes.

It seemed like the right time to be making amends now that everything had changed, now that Cynthia was sure that her future would never occur. Now that she'd convinced herself that they could love both her and her sister.

* * *

However, the next day dawned purple and pink, dewy and clear, like the start of the beginning of a new age, and the raven haired knight could think of nothing she wanted to do less than visit her sister. But, everyone was making the trip back to Ylisstol, and it seemed only appropriate that she do the same. With her pegasus trotting comfortably next to Minerva, Cynthia was forced to talk to Gerome for the first time since that awkward night months before.

Well, talking wasn't exactly necessary with Gerome, he was perfectly comfortable walking in uncomfortable silence, but Cynthia fancied a clean slate, a starting over that the day ahead clearly provided for her. So she talked to him, trying to be genuine and yet knowing he could see through her. Finally, she gave up, knowing that when he was this quiet, there was a good reason for him not wanting to talk. Gods, she hated how much she screwed over her relationship with him!

Then, as though the promise of a new and clean day really could bring everything back to the way it was before, Gerome started talking to her.

"Do you remember teaching me to fly when we were younger?"

The dark-haired knight did a double take before replying cheerfully: "Yeah, sure! You were so scared of heights you couldn't ride a wyvern! So I took you on my pegasus, and we flew and flew until you weren't afraid anymore…" She giggled genuinely for the first time since the night they last talked, and he let out a hearty laugh in return. "That was so much fun! I haven't thought about that in ages…" Slowly, her laughter trailed off as she realised she really _hadn't_ thought about it in ages. It had happened so soon after their parent's deaths, yet it was such a sweet memory of that time.

A simple memory, but a complete one from a wreaked time, one of when she first learnt the meaning of love.

"I had hoped to never think on it again…" Gerome said as his chuckling ceased. With a raised eyebrow, Cynthia turned to look at him as though questioning why with no words. With a sigh, the white haired rider turned to face forward again-to watch as the patches of dust of his allies span up into the air and away from the constraints of gravity, much like he had when he had first flown with the knight beside him. "I have been...desperate to impress you, and yet you've already seen me for a fool."

"...You were trying to impress me?" Cynthia asked both quietly and loudly, incredulously and knowingly. It was her turn to blush now as her complete opposite turned to face her again, his hand ruffling his hair nervously, or so it seemed.

"Is that so unbelievable?" Asked he as he took his hand out from his hair, bring his mask with it, wanting to look at her, actually look at her, full in the face. He wore a sad smile as he realised how candid he was able to be now that the air of war had finally been cleared-or perhaps in spite of it as he feared where they would both go next.

"Gerome…" Cynthia looked down quickly, then turned her eyes back to his with a wide, honest, genuine grin, watery quivering in her eyes that made everything seem so much more magical as she finally let go of her past, took her first step forward. Or perhaps leap is more accurate, as she flung herself into his arms, causing him to drop his mask. "I'm CRAZY about you!"

"Wait, really?" It was Gerome's turn to be shocked as he put her back on her feet, not even a little unbalanced.

"A girl doesn't hang on your every word for old time's sake! Really, how can someone so wonderful be so darn thick?" She laughed as she wormed herself under his arm so it draped around her shoulder-a steady hand gripped her shoulder and guided her around stones and holes that could potentially trip her up. Slowly, he chuckled too, as he realised the mask he had just lost was no longer needed. No longer did he need to hide his face or his emotions, it was time to start living clearly.

"Well, now that we've cleared the air and have the ability to start afresh… I believe the first order of business is: What's the best look for a heroic couple...?"

So, the couple walked on towards Ylisstol, happy, blushing and glowing in the light of a brand new day, a new beginning. It was a time for new beginnings and moving away from everything that had been holding them back for all this time. Finally severing those last ties to their terrible past in a future that will no longer occur.

And, behind the new couple, an old one watched and prayed to Naga that this would mean their future daughter would be willing to meet the one who had caused so much pain in her future's past.

It was just the new beginning needed to convince Cynthia to meet her little big sister.

* * *

"Cynthia." Almost a week after the day of new beginnings, Lon'qu said his future daughter's name simply. They had been back in the city for about five days, shocked to come to terms with just how much time had passed as they saw their daughter over a year old and beginning to toddle around on her own. It didn't take long for Lon'qu and his wife to get reacquainted with their young daughter, but it took all that time to finally convince Cynthia to see her.

In this time, Cynthia had spent most of it with Gerome, only coming home late in the evenings-late enough to ensure that her sister was asleep. But, on the day that Owain, Inigo and Severa announced they were going to leave the city-make a name for themselves somewhere else-Cynthia was forced to face the reality she'd been dreading. All she wanted was to go off with her trio of friends and her boyfriend away from everyone else, but of course everyone thought that seeing her sister was something she _had_ to do before she could.

So, she agreed to her parents' deal: If she still wanted to leave after seeing Daisy, if she wanted the two of them out of her life once and for all after seeing her, they would let her go, without a question. The older couple sincerely hopped it wouldn't come to pass that Cynthia would leave them like that, but they were willing to accept it if she saw her sister first.

And now the day had come, the day when Cynthia would finally let go of her past, once and for all.

"Yeah?" Dark bunches swung as the young knight turned to face her parents. They looked older than when she last got a good look at their faces months ago, not much had changed, really, they just looked tired, like the world had finally gotten the better of them. However, they stood smiling at the entrance of their young daughter's room as they looked at their other daughter who was so much more mature than she had a right to be.

"Whatever happens, we love you." Sumia said, tears pricking her eyes as she looked over her daughter's shoulder at her partner, leaning against the doorway nonchalantly. "We might have been bad parents in your past, but we're more than willing to make up for that now, if you're willing to stay."

"I'll see how I feel after I see Daisy." She'd never admit it, but Cynthia was actually terrified of leaving the two of them behind. Even after everything they'd been through-or perhaps because of it-she couldn't bare to go back to being an orphan again. In spite of herself, she really had come to love the two of them as her parents, and she knew they felt the same.

"We'll be out here if you need us." Sumia said simply as she and her husband moved away from the door. Lon'qu squeezed Cynthia's shoulder as she stepped into the quiet, dark room where her little big sister and the final confrontation of her past hid.

Asleep, in a low crib, was Daisy. Her hair-the colour of Sumia's-was tied in a tiny ponytail at the nape of her neck and her tiny hands held onto each other as she slept, her chest moving evenly, her eyes flickering with dreams. Even in sleep, she made her sister jealous-so beautiful, dressed in a lilac nightie-not because of her beauty or age, but for her innocence of what she had unintentionally caused in Cynthia's time.

Closing the door most of the way, Cynthia moved to stand next to the crib as she prepared herself to talk to her baby sister.

"Hi, Daisy." She finally began, after staring for a while, in a hushed tone. "I'm your big little sister, Cynthia. I come from a place and time much different to this-a place and a time where you don't EXIST!" The fairer-haired sister babbled in her sleep. Resting her arms against the railing of the crib, Cynthia smiled.

"Honestly, I always wondered how much one person not being born could change things. I suppose, in a way, I'd assumed that mother and father would have been the same in this time as in mine: Distant with everyone, even each other, after they realised they'd run into a marriage that neither of them really wanted." Slowly, Cynthia lowered her head onto her arms, closed her eyes. "I don't think I realised just how much of an impact your still-birth had on them until I saw them when I first arrived in this place and time.

"You see, Daisy, when I first arrived, I thought it was amazing to see them both so young, full of life and love. And for-what-a week?, it was. Then Gerome came back." She nose exhaled at herself as she realised she was pouring her heart out to a babe who couldn't hear her. "To put it simply, your little sister fell in love when she was too young. And when she saw him again-alive and well-well, she fell again; HARD. And, suddenly, everything came back.

"The past she tried so hard to forget, repress, it all came back. She told mother and father, thinking that would help, for some unknown reason. It achieved the exact opposite. Your silly little sister retreated inside herself after that-acting out and acting out of her ordinary. With time, she became so repressed that she even acted out against her favourite person!" Slowly, Cynthia opened her eyes again and gazed, unseeing, into her sister's crib. "It was a dark time in an optimist's life-playing the part of a pessimist when she still hopped everything would return to normal. It was a dark time for me, not knowing when everything would return back to the way it should be.

"But, little big sister, the most important thing for you to remember as you grow up is this: Things will always fix themselves, work themselves out." Daisy turned and cooed in her sleep. "… About a week ago, the naughty man who had caused me to lose mother and father in my time sacrificed himself so that that wouldn't happen in this time. And when I saw him do that, act so out of the character I had him pegged as, I knew that it was time for me to find myself again. It was time for me to begin again, love everyone who deserved my love again. So, I told my favourite I loved him, I let myself be dragged here to see you by mother and father, because I loved them too.

"And, Daisy, I came to see you specifically, because… Naga, forgive me… I _hated_ you." Cynthia stood upright, her hands gripping the railing of the crib so hard her knuckles turned white. "All my life, I've hated you, resented you for forcing mother and father apart. But, now that I see you-small and innocent to all the atrocities of the world-I realise I can't hate you. Hate isn't in my vocabulary. Daisy, your my big sister, and I'm sure Naga need you and Nana for a reason. I'm sure, She had a reason for not letting us meet until now. … And, I'm sure She's got a reason for making this our first and last meeting.

"Daisy, I'm leaving today. You and I may never meet again. I want you to know, it's not your fault. This is just something I have to do. I need to start a new life somewhere else, somewhere nice, quiet and peaceful. Somewhere away from my family." Cynthia stood up and let go of the crib, turning her back to it slowly. "Goodbye, big sister, take care."

Slowly, she started to walk away.

A rustling sound came from behind her as she reached the door, letting some of the light from the outside fall onto the dark crib and illuminate the single bar between the railing that Daisy's little face was peering through. Unknowingly, Cynthia walked back to her fair-haired sister and lifted her out of the crib so her face was level with her own, Daisy's black eyes meeting Cynthia's own grey.

"Hi." Cynthia smiled at her, not knowing why she had decided to come back to see her after saying goodbye. From the gap in the door, Cynthia could feel her parents and Gerome staring at the two of them. "I'm-"

"'Ister." Daisy said in her high-pitched baby voice, her tiny hand grabbing a hold of one of Cynthia's dark bunches. "-Inth-E-Ah"

"Yes," Cynthia's eyes welled up as she brought her infant sister in for a hug, unaware to the pain that she was causing her as she pulled her bunches and babbled laughter into her ear. "I'm your b-big little s-sister, Cynthia."

Finally, her tears spilled down her cheeks, her sister looked up at her, dabbing them away with her tiny fingers and touching her own eyes in innocent confusion. The door opened all the way and the rest of her family walked in. Lon'qu rested a hand on his dark-haired daughter's shoulder as her mother tried to remove Daisy from her grip. Both sisters held onto each other tight, refusing to yield to their parents' soothing touch. Slowly, Cynthia whispered into her sister's ear, wanting to punctuate her words as clearly as her laughing, crying voice would allow:

"And I l-love you, l-little big sister. I… I'm not going anywhere…"


End file.
